First time on RCCL

[dac61]

We have cruised 2times before with Carnival. What will be the biggest difference with going On RCCL. We will be on Liberty of the Seas in 2019. Looks like a great ship.

[Clarea]

No poolside grill on Royal.

[klfrodo]

We have cruised 2times before with Carnival. What will be the biggest difference with going On RCCL. We will be on Liberty of the Seas in 2019. Looks like a great ship.

 

Depends on what you are looking for and what 2 ships you sailed on with Carnival.

If you sailed on Farcus designed Carnival ships, then the biggest difference is going to be interior design and colors.

Carnival puts emphasis on the "FUN" ships. Lots of staff energizing and encouraging "Fun" participation, like sail away dance parties, a performance by the waiter in the MDR, etc. Royal isn't dead by any means but they don't go to the extreme that Carnival does to encourage guests to have fun.

Good or bad, Royal is encouraging a "class" system within it's guests. From priority reserved seating in shows, to reserved seating for priority guests at the pool, to special lounges for certain level of priority guests, to even some guests have their own special dining rooms.

 

Otherwise, at the end of the day,, you'll find that Carnival and Royal have more in common than not.

[Tatka]

We sailed 4 times with Royal in the last 6 months and never felt "class system". Yes there are some reservations made, but people pay dearly for these services.

I find Royal ships to be more better designed with nicer decor. Food is subjective. None of these lines are gourmet, but there are nicer food. MDR offers escargots on its regular menu.

[carnival03]

Depends on what you are looking for and what 2 ships you sailed on with Carnival.

If you sailed on Farcus designed Carnival ships, then the biggest difference is going to be interior design and colors.

Carnival puts emphasis on the "FUN" ships. Lots of staff energizing and encouraging "Fun" participation, like sail away dance parties, a performance by the waiter in the MDR, etc. Royal isn't dead by any means but they don't go to the extreme that Carnival does to encourage guests to have fun.

Good or bad, Royal is encouraging a "class" system within it's guests. From priority reserved seating in shows, to reserved seating for priority guests at the pool, to special lounges for certain level of priority guests, to even some guests have their own special dining rooms.

 

Otherwise, at the end of the day,, you'll find that Carnival and Royal have more in common than not.

 

Royal has priority pool seating? Are you talking about the suite level deck?

[carnival03]

Hi OP,

 

I'm in a similar situation... Have always cruised Carnival, but making the jump to Royal next May. Below is a link to the thread I started a few months back that you may find helpful.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2625641

[Countrygurl]

We have cruised 2times before with Carnival. What will be the biggest difference with going On RCCL. We will be on Liberty of the Seas in 2019. Looks like a great ship.

 

 

 

Four Carnival cruises under my belt (7 day Alaska on Spirit; 3 Carribean cruises on Glory, Conquest, and Vista). First RCI next month.

[Sitzmark]

Went on one carnival cruise. It was the last. The Dream was a nightmare. The boat listed to port all week. The food had a laxative effect. The vibrations at the stern were headache inducing. The entertainment was amateurish. I’m not a fan of cruising in general but RCI is much better than Carnival.

[OCruisers]

You will basically find very little difference between Carnival and RCCL.

Naturally, it all depends on the ship. Some RCCL ships are better than some Carnival ships and some Carnival ships are better than some RCCL ships. ;)

[lenquixote66]

We have cruised 2times before with Carnival. What will be the biggest difference with going On RCCL. We will be on Liberty of the Seas in 2019. Looks like a great ship.

 

I cruised once with Carnival and said never again . I cruised 7 times with RCI and I love the line.

[lrn2cruise]

Went on one carnival cruise. It was the last. The Dream was a nightmare. The boat listed to port all week. The food had a laxative effect. The vibrations at the stern were headache inducing. The entertainment was amateurish. I’m not a fan of cruising in general but RCI is much better than Carnival.

 

I feel the same way about Carnival and RCCL. We took my son's senior class on The Carnival Valor out of Galveston this past May 18' because it was cheap and short. The kids had a blast, but for me? I didn't like it at all. The pool deck was so loud and crazy. I saw really fat people (very obese) wearing bikinis, even a thong. The decor was, IMO tacky. The food in the dining room was good and that is all I will say that is positive. Oh, and our cabin steward was fine.

 

I feel that there is a better class of people on RCCL. I am just a Royal Fan. I hope to do Alaska on Ovation next summer. We have a kid in college, so I have to work extra this year to save for the cruise.

[JaniceB]

I cruised from Galveston on the Breeze and LOS. The big differences were the pool area was bigger and I loved the serenity area and the lunch options on Breeze. I did like the shows on LOS.

 

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[Tatka]

I feel the same way about Carnival and RCCL. We took my son's senior class on The Carnival Valor out of Galveston this past May 18' because it was cheap and short. The kids had a blast, but for me? I didn't like it at all. The pool deck was so loud and crazy. I saw really fat people (very obese) wearing bikinis, even a thong. The decor was, IMO tacky. The food in the dining room was good and that is all I will say that is positive. Oh, and our cabin steward was fine.

 

 

 

I feel that there is a better class of people on RCCL. I am just a Royal Fan. I hope to do Alaska on Ovation next summer. We have a kid in college, so I have to work extra this year to save for the cruise.

 

 

 

I agree with your assessment. Food and service aren’t the reasons we stopped cruising with Carnival after 3 honest attempts. Ambiance and ship decors are.

 

This is our observation of pax/ambiance quality on all lines we sailed (on average, there are some exceptions, but they are very minor)

 

Cunard

Celebrity/HAL

Princess

 

RCCL

NCL

 

Carnival

 

MSC is still under observation as on our 2 cruises majority was from overseas, so it was a healthy mix. If most folks are from here and prices are that low...results could be not as exciting.

[SamTimeDining]

I saw really fat people (very obese) wearing bikinis, even a thong.

 

 

Thoughts and Prayers

[gatour]

You can't compare a short over the weekend cruise to a 7 day cruise. Shoot you can not necessary an over weekend cruise to that starts on Monday or Tuesday and ends on Thursday/Friday.

 

As an example, a few years ago some of my wife's aunts and uncles wanted to take the Carnival 4 day cruise out of Jacksonville over a weekend. We booked with them. Then I started to look into it, the following cruise was a 5 day cruise. Added up the cost of the already booked 4 day cruise and the following 5 day cruise. The total cost was cheaper than what were were paying for 7 day cruises at the time. So turned the trip into a B2B

 

Anyway when we boarded, it was readily apparent that people on-board ready to party and they did. A lot of 20 somethings, and groups of friends/coworkers looking for a good time.

 

Then on turnaround day those left and the new passengers boarded. It was like a difference between night and day. The new crowd trended older (not necessarily retirement aged). The cruise was definetly more sedate.

 

I find that if you compare like cruises between RCCL and Carnival you will find more similiarities than differrences.

 

 

I feel the same way about Carnival and RCCL. We took my son's senior class on The Carnival Valor out of Galveston this past May 18' because it was cheap and short. The kids had a blast, but for me? I didn't like it at all. The pool deck was so loud and crazy. I saw really fat people (very obese) wearing bikinis, even a thong. The decor was, IMO tacky. The food in the dining room was good and that is all I will say that is positive. Oh, and our cabin steward was fine.

 

I feel that there is a better class of people on RCCL. I am just a Royal Fan. I hope to do Alaska on Ovation next summer. We have a kid in college, so I have to work extra this year to save for the cruise.

[dacsmom]

There are more similarities than differences. I go between RCI, Carnival, and NCL and have enjoyed every one. Food is so subjective but I like RCI dining room food, but Carnivals check in system much better. I like the shows on RCI a bit more. No Guys Burgers, Pig and Anchor, or Blue Iguana Cantina, or Seafood shack on RCI. More drink package options on RCI with varied price points. Carnival has Cheers only and is a bit more restrictive. Deluxe drink package is a bit more expensive but includes just about everything with no limit.